Steam radiator control



April 24, 1934. E- BURRELL 1,956,003

STEAM RADIATOR CONTROL Filed April 21, 1930 f5 Zia@ Patented Apr. 24, 1934:V

STATES STEAM RADIATOR CONTROL Ellis Burrell, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Evenaire Regulator Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application April 21, 1930, Serial No. 446,067

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the regulation of the heat delivery of steam radiators in intermittently red non-vacuum return systems, and is based upon the idea of controlling bleed ports in the radiator by means of thermostats subject toroom temperature, whereby air may be released from the radiators in such quantities as is required for the purpose -of permitting only so much steam to flow into the radiators as is required for maintaining room temperature at a desired point and prevent excess delivery of heat.

The objects of the invention are to dispense with thermostatic control of the steam inlet valve of the radiator, to make such valve unnecessary if desired, to avoid the comparatively expensive equipment customary with the thermostatic control of valves such as pumps and air lines, or electrical equipment and to provide improved and automatic means for controlling the air vent of a steam radiator.

These objects are accomplished by means of a construction such as illustrated in the drawing, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View illustrating a steam radiator in connection with the improved thermostatic control therefor.

Fig. 2 is a face View of the thermostat with the cover removed.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the thermostat with the casing thereof shown in section.

The purposes of the invention may be accomplished by attaching to a steam radiator in place of the customary relief valve, an air bleeding device which is under thermostatic control and subject to operation according to room temperature. The function of this device is to prevent the escape of air from the radiator except as is required to admit only enough steam to maintain some predetermined room temperature. The improved air bleeding device is not subject to operation according to steam temperatures, as is common with radiator relief valves, but is applicable to radiators in steam heating systems where radiator relief valves are commonly employed. The 45 systems to which the invention is applicable may be one or two pipe steam heating systems operated upon pressures above atmospheric pressure and it is not intended for use in systems of the vacuum return type employing a pump or other means for drawing steam through a radiator.

Adjustable means are provided at the thermostat whereby the latter will function automatically to release more or less air from the radiator and thus maintain any desired temperature of the latter between the maximum possible temperature and the normal atmospheric temperature. The steam radiator may be connected directly to the steam supply line without a control valve at the inlet end of the radiator, since with this improved system regulation of the steam supply to the radiator may be effected entirely at so that the thermostatic control device 5 is in a -l preferably under the influence of position to be in which it the average temperature of the room is placed.

The thermostatic device includes a cast base 6, whichmay be attached to a wall or lbase-board of the room by means of a wood screw 7, passing through the plate. Integral with the base 6 is an elbow-shaped valve body 8, one end of which is threaded at 9 to receive a compression coupling for a copper tube 3. The other end of the valve body 8 is internally threaded at 10 to receive a plug 11 having a projecting portion terminating in a tip and a small central perforation 12 passed therethrough. In the space 13 between the plug 11 and the outlet 14 of a vent passageway l5 passing through the valve body, is a valve disc or plate 16. This disc normally rests against the outlet 14, thus closing the latter. Y

The valve disc 16 may be formed from bakelite. The plug 1l is preferably formed from metal and the outlet end of the perforation 12 is normally closed by a valve means or disc 17 which is carried by a bi-metallic strip 18, which is shown in semicircular form with its opposite end attached by screws 19 to the nat side of a post 20 projecting upwardly from the base 6.

For the purpose of regulating the action of the thermostatic strip 18 so as to open the bleed port or vent port 21 at the end of plug 11 at a desired room temperature, the tension on the strip 18 is varied by means of an adjustable tapered cam 22, coacting with the rivet 23 on the strip 18. At the base of cam 22 is a threaded extension thereof fitting within a tapped opening in the base 6. An arm 28 rigidly secured to post 20 provides a bearing for cam 22. The top end of the cam is provided with a knurled head 25 by means of which the cam may be screwed upwardly or downwardly. The knurled head 25 may be a non-integral part of the cam 22, so that when it is tightly screwed into the aperture 26 in the cam it will clamp between the latter and the.` head a pointer 2'7. This pointer indicates by gures marked on the top of casing 5 the temperature setting of the thermostat.

The case 5 should be perforated to allow free circulation of air therethrough.

In the operation of this steam radiator control means, steam is admitted to the radiator according to the bleeding of air therefrom, through the tube 3 and the port 21, the latter being opened and closed according to the eX- pansion and. contraction of bimetallic strip 18.

The temperature at which the valve 17 is lifted from bleed port 21 is determined by the adjustment of tapered cam 22, pointer 27 which rotates with the cam serving to indicate its setting.

If the steam supply to the radiator is discontinued and a partial vacuum forms in the radiator the valve disc 16 will rest upon its seat, keeping the port 14 closed, and at least limiting the inward iiow of air, if not entirely shutting it ofi at this point.

It is customary in steam heating systems to which the present temperature regulating device may be applied, to provide vent valves in the main steam lines to permit the escape of air from the system when the steam pressure is coming up. Such valves close either by a thermostatic means subject to steam temperature or by the pressure of the steam, and open when the system cools down, and there is a tendency for a partial vacuum to form therein. The advantage of the disc 16 is to prevent cold air from entering the radiator through the thermostat vent port and thus hasten the cooling of the radiator.

In ordinary systems a vacuum begins to form within the radiator as soon as the system begins to cool or the steam supply or pressure becomes low, because during condensation of the steam the steam volume decreases much more rapidly than it can be replaced by air admitted through the, air vent port. Thus the air entering the vent port is moved with considerable velocity, and carries with it the dust and lint that is normally floating in the room atmosphere. This dust and lint rapidly clogs up the vent ports of the usual devices and renders them inoperative either by completely clogging up the port or by preventing a tight seating of the valve. The disc 1S in the present invention limits the possibility of dust and line clogging the vent port by preventing any inrush or inflow of the room air and the vent port is always maintained clean to p and operative. Also by permitting the air to enter the system only through the air valves in the steam supply lines, whatever heat remains in the radiator when the system cools down may be retained in the radiator for a longer period.

Although but one specic embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as dened by the following claims.

I claim:

l. A one-pipe gravity return steam radiator control for controlling the amount of air discharged frorn a steam radiator, comprising a valve body communicating with an air vent o1" a radiator and having a passageway terminating in a vent port, a bimetallic valve arm arranged to be subject to temperature fluctuations of the surrounding room air, a valve mounted on said arm arranged to open and close said vent port, and a check means within said body arranged to prevent air from returning into said body.

2. A one-pipe gravity return steam radiator control for controlling the air discharged from a steam radiator, comprising a valve body having a vent passage therethrough communicating with an air vent of a radiator, a projecting por- Y tion on said body terminating in a conical tip and having a passage leading from said tip to the vent passage in said body, a bimetallic valve arm arranged to be subject to temperature fluctuations of the surrounding room air, a flat valve on said arm arranged to engage said tip and close the passage therethrough, said arm being shiftably responsive to temperature changes to move said valve toward and away from said tip, and means associated with said body and arranged to prevent air returning therethrough.

3. A control for one-pipe gravity return steam radiators, comprising a valve body communicating with an air vent of a radiator and having,

a passageway terminating in a vent port, a bimetallic arm xed at one end and arranged to be subject to temperature uctuations of the surrounding room air, a valve mounted on said arm and positioned to close and open said vent port, a check means within said body arranged to prevent air from returning into said body, and adjustable means coacting with said arm to mechanically shift said valve toward and away from said vent port.

ELLIS BURRELL. 

